Scent of a Man: Women Can Sniff Out a Hot Guy

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Women at their peak fertility prefer the smell of men oozing with
testosterone, a new study finds.

Ovulation has been shown to impact a woman's mating preferences.
For instance, women in the fertile phase of their menstrual cycle
favor more masculine traits, such as a deep voice or manly
face, characteristics associated with the hormone testosterone,
studies have found. Other research suggests fertile women are
attracted to men with high levels of the stress hormone cortisol,
which may be involved in
stronger immune systems.

In the new study, researchers tested how women's sexual scent
preferences changed depending on men's levels of testosterone and
cortisol. Male volunteers were given T-shirts to wear for two
consecutive nights, during which time they were prohibited from
using scented soaps or detergents; drinking or smoking; or eating
garlic, onion, green chiles, strong cheeses and other pungent
foods. [ 50 Sultry
Facts About Sex ]

Then, female volunteers sniffed the men's shirts and rated the
pleasantness, sexiness and intensity of the smells (on scales
from 1 to 10). The women also completed a questionnaire about
their stage in their menstrual cycles and whether they were using
hormonal contraception.

The researchers took saliva samples from the men to measure
hormone levels of testosterone and cortisol.

Women who were at the most fertile stage of their menstrual
cycles preferred the
smell of men with higher testosterone, rating these
"manly" shirts as the most pleasant and sexiest, results showed.
The women showed no preference for the smells of men with higher
cortisol levels. Without taking the women's fertility into
account, neither hormone had an influence on how attractive the
men smelled.

The link found between testosterone and smell attractiveness
contrasts with the findings of a previous study. That study
sampled a smaller group of subjects (19 men versus the current
study's 46 men), which could weaken the significance of the
findings. However, that study tested for testosterone three times
throughout the day, making it more sensitive to the hormone's
frequent fluctuations.

"This is a controversial research area. Studies are highly
inconsistent," psychologist Wendy Wood of the University of
Southern California, who was not involved in the study, told
LiveScience in an email. "Only a few studies have shown that
women’s menstrual cycles influence their mate preferences — many
more find no effects of menstrual cycles on preferences," Wood
added.

The chemical androstenol contributes to the musky
smell of body odor. Men produce much more of this chemical
than women, and testosterone levels may be linked to production
of these molecules, the researchers suggest. If so, the women in
the study may be responding to these subtle odor cues.

If the findings can be replicated, scientists could try to
identify these odor molecules, and then figure out how they
influence human scent preferences.

Whether these chemicals are signals of masculine qualities, or
just a byproduct of them, remains unclear.